Template - Date: Players Championships Ireland

SIMON WHITLOCK claimed his first title for over two years as he produced a comeback win over Ronny Huybrechts in the Players Championship 18 final in Dublin, after earlier ending Michael van Gerwen’s winning streak.

Australian star Whitlock had last tasted success in a ranking event in June 2014, but followed up last week’s nine-dart finish with an outstanding day at the Citywest Hotel to claim the £10,000 title. Early wins over Matthew Edgar, Yordi Meeuwisse and Brendan Dolan set up a last 16 clash with in-form world number one van Gerwen, who had won eight successive ranking events since mid-June, including Friday’s Players Championship.

However, the Dutchman’s run was ended as Whitlock claimed a 6-3 triumph, before he dropped only one leg in each of his quarter-final and semi-final wins, against Justin Pipe and Steve West respectively as he progressed to the decider. Belgian ace Huybrechts had won through to his first ProTour final since May 2013, overcoming Darren Johnson, Stuart Kellett, Cristo Reyes, Kyle Anderson, Jelle Klaasen and Daryl Gurney.

He then opened the decider in style by taking a 3-0 lead as Whitlock paid for early missed doubles in two of the opening three legs. Whitlock hit back to 3-2 before Huybrechts edged a high-quality sixth leg, with the Australian then missing double 18 for a nine-dart finish in the seventh, before returning to land double nine for a ten-dart finish.

Huybrechts posted double six to move to the brink of victory at 5-3, but Whitlock hit back before punishing two match darts from the Belgian to level and force a decider which the former European Champion took for glory. “It means so much to me,” said Whitlock, who has dropped to 20th on the PDC Order of Merit. “I feel like this has been coming and today was the day it all came good, but this is the start of me getting back to my best.

“I played fantastic darts all day but I got nervous towards the end of the final. I want to use this win as motivation to get back to where I was a few years ago. “It’s been a really tough couple of years but I’ve worked so hard and it is starting to pay off finally.”

Huybrechts picked up £6,000 as the runner-up as he enjoyed his best performance of 2016, while West followed up last week’s run to a Players Championship in Barnsley – which secured him qualification for the Unibet World Grand Prix – by reaching the semi-finals.

Northern Irish ace Gurney also won through to the last four, battling past Andy Boulton, Andy Hamilton, Joe Cullen, Mark Webster and Ian White in an encouraging display in only his second event after returning from a month sidelined with a broken bone in his throwing hand.

World number three Adrian Lewis won through to the quarter-finals alongside Klaasen, White and Pipe, while the last 16 included van Gerwen and his World Grand Prix rivals for this week’s forthcoming event, Mensur Suljovic and Kyle Anderson. Mark Webster, Ronnie Baxter, David Pallett, Jermaine Wattimena and Mike De Decker also reached the last 16, while World Champion Gary Anderson was ousted by namesake Kyle at the last 32 stage.

The Players Championship was the final event before the £400,000 Unibet World Grand Prix begins on Sunday at the Citywest Hotel in Dublin, live on Sky Sports. Both Players Championship events on Friday and Saturday were streamed through www.LIVEPDC.TV, with the further tournaments on October 21-22 also set to be broadcast online.